Dirt: My Favorite Daughter (of the second)

Whew! Friday is finally here. I love my job and my family, but I am exhausted this week and part of the reason is them.We had two swim meets in three days, play rehearsals, lots of homework, last minute snack runs and I worked 40 hours.  But it is now Friday and that means...wine, laundry and cleaning out closets at my leisure.

Last weekend, during the break of the middle school swim championship, I came home and cleaned out Ellie's room. Two bags of garbage and a lot of sharpies (at least 100) later, it is clean. Almost still clean.

She is a big time artist and I know will at least study it in high school all the way to AP Art, and may continue on in college. So, all of her drawers are full of art, art supplies, art books and doodled on pieces of paper. I saved almost all of them. She really likes to look back and see how far she has progressed over the years. One piece I found was from two years ago and had a note on the back of it. 

She is my favorite daughter.

Dirt: Again with the routine?

As I have progressed through the stages of motherhood, I have realized two things. 

#1 A routine will save your life.

#2 Routines do not mean you are boring (at least that is what I tell myself.)

routine does not = these

My first daughter was an easy baby, except she never slept through the night. She nursed through the night. I was exhausted, but happy because she really didn't need a routine. I could go all day long and she would nap here and there and we were cool. We traveled across the country when she was 5 months old, first by plane, then by car. I never wanted to commit to a routine because I felt that as a new person in town and a new mom, I really needed flexibility to just live my life. And, if I am honest, I equated a routine as such a "mom thing" and while I had a child, I did not want to be labeled a mom. By 13 months I was pregnant again and we moved into "Mommy needs a routine...because Mommy  needs a nap" mode.

Dirt: Vacation has restored my will

It's Wednesday and I am just about recovered from our vacation.

Had such a wonderful time and it really was a great bonding experience for the members of Casa Swann. We had a lovely dog/cat sitter who sent us daily photos of our pets. I ate more carbs than I had in months, stayed out til 3 a.m., laughed myself silly walking on The Mall with my girls and thoroughly was amazed by my  husband's restraint when we couldn't find the bike share return.

I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Kennedy Center

Now, I am home and full of plans for my house. 

Little things that need to be cleaned and cleaned out.

Big things that need to be repaired and ripped out (carpet).

There is something about a good vacation that does that to me. Fires me up so to speak.

With my new job, I am free early in the morning and later in the afternoon, so I have more time to actually do things. So, I started a list (you know I love them!) of all the things that we need to do around our house. My  house was built in 1925 and it requires TLC to keep it up. Said house would also love a live in handy person, but that does not live here. Instead, two people who like to travel and eat. Those skills don't transfer to owning an old house.

But,  we I can paint the trim and stain a deck. I can clean out closets like a champ. 

So...this week, I started a list.

And after I finish the laundry. 

I am starting on it.

Don't worry, I won't bore you with it. 

BUT... I will share the projects as I do them. 

Fun.

Whatever: New year purge

I have spent the last two days feeling under the weather, so I took down the Christmas and holiday decorations and finally unpacked all but two of my six bags I took to the beach.

(Before you judge, I had one bag of clothing and five other bags of things 

like games, shoes, toiletries, electronics, food, etc.)

Now, I am moving onto actually cleaning my house. 

Beyond the floor that needs mopping, the toilets that need scrubbing and the light switches that need wiping, there is always something when you have a house that is inhabited by anyone other than yourself.If it was me alone, the house would remain spotless except for my chair in the bedroom I pile clothes on and my  cluttered desk.

 

But the three extra people, two dogs, and two cats make a giant mess daily.

Once that is done, I am moving onto purging. 

I did my own closet before Christmas as I couldn't find anything to wear.

Partly because I have no clothes, partly because I still have sweaters from the 90's in my closet, and partly because what I do have and actually wear was overcrowded. Amazingly, I got rid of three garbage bags of clothing. Now, I own a consignment business, so I knew what needed to go and what could be consigned. Most needed to go! (SAD)

I also did a little holiday purge of unused decorations. That was very freeing. 

Now I am moving along to the rest of my house.
And as I just got back from vacation where my worldly belongings was narrowed down to just 6 bags, I feel a fire lit under me to pare the rest of my life down somewhat as well.

My goal is to clear and clean.  

My family is hiding things as we speak. They all hate to get rid of things. 

My husband is the worst. I bet he has 200 t-shirts. ALL are special. 

Clearing the clutter is very freeing. 

It is like clearing your mind. Taking a deep cleansing breath. Losing weight.

New Year To Do List #1 

Clear the clutter.